2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Howrigan
A surname likely derived from a place name or family estate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Howrigan. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Howrigan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Howrigan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Howrigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Howrigan
The surname HOWRIGAN is believed to have originated in Ireland, specifically in the Gaelic-speaking regions of the country. It is thought to derive from the Irish Gaelic word "úr," meaning "fresh" or "new," combined with the suffix "-igan," which denotes a diminutive form. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who was considered a newcomer or a newcomer's descendant in a particular area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HOWRIGAN can be found in the Irish Annals, which document important events and genealogies from ancient times. In the Annals of Ulster, a manuscript compiled in the 15th century, there is a reference to a person named "Ó hUirigáin" (a variant spelling) who was involved in a conflict in the year 1420.
In the 16th century, the HOWRIGAN surname appears in various legal and administrative records from counties in the province of Connacht, such as Sligo and Mayo. This suggests that the name may have been particularly prevalent in these western regions of Ireland during that time period.
Notable individuals bearing the HOWRIGAN surname throughout history include:
1. Seán Ó hUirigáin (c. 1580-1660), an Irish poet and historian from County Sligo who composed works in both Irish and Latin.
2. Máire Ní Uirigín (1827-1898), a renowned Irish language scholar and educator from County Mayo, who played a significant role in preserving and promoting the Irish language in the late 19th century.
3. Tomás Ó hUirigín (1868-1942), an Irish politician and activist who served as a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and was involved in the Irish revolutionary period of the early 20th century.
4. Caitlín Uirigín (1920-2008), a renowned Irish traditional singer and musician from County Sligo, who was influential in preserving and promoting traditional Irish music and culture.
5. Séamus Ó hUirigín (1930-2003), an Irish writer and journalist from County Mayo, who authored several books on Irish history and culture, as well as works of fiction.
The HOWRIGAN surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, particularly in the western counties where it was historically concentrated. For example, there are townlands (small geographic divisions) called "Urraghy" and "Urrisken" in County Sligo, which may have derived from or influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Howrigan
Among Census respondents with the surname Howrigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Howrigan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Howrigan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 112
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Howrigan
Howrigan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,579 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+14 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 5,579 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 12,119 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Howrigan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #154,907 | #142,788 | 7.8% |
| Count | 105 | 119 | 13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Howrigan bearers went from 105 to 119 (+13.3% change). The surname moved up 12,119 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #142,788.
FAQ
Howrigan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Howrigan?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Howrigan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Howrigan?
Howrigan ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Howrigan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Howrigan.
Has Howrigan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Howrigan went from 105 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 14 (+13.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Howrigan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Howrigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Howrigan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Howrigan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Howrigan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Howrigan mean?
A surname likely derived from a place name or family estate. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Howrigan (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Howrigan?
If you just want to know how common the surname Howrigan is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.